What a terrific conductor Fistoulari could be and how perfect are
his tempi in this selection. The recordings were made in London between 1956
and 1958, with the Philharmonia and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras in top
form. Kingsway Hall was the venue for the Philharmonia sessions and Abbey
Road for the RPO, and both lend appropriate lustre to the proceedings. The
recital was chosen to reflect music from the country of the
conductor’s birth.

Fistoulari (1907-95) is possibly best remembered for his Russian
music whether ballet, or not, or as a good accompanist. His dearest wish, in
terms of recording the Russian repertoire, was to set down his version of
Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony. Maybe the BBC could oblige with an
archive studio performance, if one still exists, because Fistoulari’s
wish was not to be granted.

As with the first item, Rimsky’s Procession of the
Nobles from Mlada, this disc is itself a procession of one
delightful recording after another. The rhythmic vitality he locates in
Rimsky’s piece is typical of his bracing and idiomatic musicianship, a
fact reinforced by his deftly characterised Glinka, in which Beecham’s
orchestra provides the charismatic wind and horn playing. The last of the
three items with the RPO is Tchaikovsky’s Marche Miniature from
the Suite No.1 in D, another superior example indeed.

The remainder of the disc is given over to his Philharmonia
recordings, originally released on HMV SXLP 30119. The world premiere
recording of Nikolai Tcherepnin’s arrangement for full orchestra of
Borodin’s Notturno, from the Second String Quartet, was given
here. The refulgent romanticism that glows from within must give some
indication of how he would have approached the Rachmaninoff slow movement.
The balance between the dictates of lissom inflexion and dramatic intensity
are reconciled in so apparently obvious a piece as the waltz from Swan
Lake - which in its way indicates yet again why he was so formidable a
ballet conductor. There are two pieces by Glazunov, fortunately. The
Concert Waltz No.1 is full of all the grace and charm you could wish
for, whilst Stenka Razin gets a fabulously exciting reading, full of
dramatic flair and orchestral discipline. The Philharmonia sounds as if it
really means it. Finally there are three excerpts from the suite from
Lieutenant Kijé which exude so much colour and sentiment that
you wish Fistoulari had recorded the full suite, and more much more
Prokofiev besides.

The notes are fine and the re-mastering excellent. This is a
terrific disc, and it fully reflects Fistoulari’s energy, creativity,
and stirring musicianship.